August 14, 2014

Dining News: Now Open - Pizzeria Urbano

Pizzeria Urbano, located in the MAARS Building, is celebrating its grand opening on Friday with $3 draft beer and $3 slices of pizza all day.

The new restaurant is helmed by Chef Cruz Medina, who according to his Facebook page, most recently worked at Hot Italian. Pizzeria Urbano replaced Luigi's Slice, which closed about three months ago.

The restaurant was opened by brothers Carlos and Jose Ulloa, who also own Azul Mexican Food next door.

Pizzeria Urbano has been open for the last two weeks in its soft opening phase. I stopped by on Friday for happy hour and was impressed by their operation. Their menu featured pizzas by the slice, making it the third late night pizza option in that part of midtown (with Uncle Vito's and Pieces) and a small, but diverse collection of microbrews.

I split a slice of the Di Mateo pizza with a friend, which was topped with Mozzarella, House Made Sausage, Kale, Red Onion, Chili Flakes and Pecorino Romano for $4.50.

I enjoyed the slice. It had a crispier crust than all the other Neapolitan-style pizzas in town, and the toppins were ample and fresh. Since they're open until 2:30 a.m. on weekend nights, I'm sure it'll taste even better next time I stumble into the restaurant for an after midnight treat.

Tapped Out: Is Sac's craft beer bubble on the verge of bursting? - The city still lags behind craft beer epicenters such as Seattle, Denver and Portland, where 40 percent of beer sales come from craft. Sacramento’s craft beer scene (with a market share hovering around 20 percent) reflects the national trends of rapid growth in popularity and brewery startups. But with the region’s recent surge of craft breweries, one can’t help but wonder whether this trend can last. Russell Nichols in Comstocks Mag.

Local Eats to be Included in Sac International’s Terminal A Upgrades- Friday, the airport will begin an eight-month remodeling project to welcome six new restaurants by next spring, to the tune of $3 million. Among newly-arriving restaurants include local favorites Paesanos, Squeeze Inn and another only-in-Sacramento spot not yet named. On FOX 40.

Shige Sushi: A sushi parade- The story of sushi in Sacramento is an almost generational one. Taka Watanabe taught Billy Ngo, the rock-star chef of Midtown who now runs Kru Restaurant. And Shige Tokita taught Watanabe, who now runs the beloved Taka’s Sushi. So really, if you’re eating the food of Ngo or Watanabe, you’re in a way eating the food of Tokita. Tokita himself runs the humble Shige Sushi in Carmichael...If you prefer cheap, bombastic rolls that are deep-fried and buried under avocado, then Shige is not your place. If you want to eat authentic, classically prepared Japanese cuisine from a man who knows his craft, then it’s definitely worth the trip. Garrett McCord in Sac News & Review.

Third Strike Cafe so far’s a solid hit- We tasted the ribs, and they hit a grand slam. Roy marinates them in three kinds of citrus juice, soy sauce and ginger (among other ingredients) and rubs them with a proprietary blend of “eight or nine” spices he grinds by hand. The ribs were meaty, moist and tender, oinking with flavors that seemed to improve with each bite. In a word: excellent. The sauce – a bit of sweet, a touch of heat, appropriately served on the side – is “my wife’s grandmother’s recipe,” he said. Allen Pierleoni in the Sac Bee.

VIDEO: Gold River Distillery- A new distillery is Sacramento is making history this summer just by opening their doors and we get a sneak peek before anyone else. On Good Day SacPart 1 | Part 2.

VIDEO: Dickey's Barbecue Pit- Roland Dickey is the son of Dickey's Barbecue founder Travis Dickey, shows what makes the family run business one of the premiere barbecue chains in the country. Roland along with guest host Tracy Sellers sample a pork butt prepared by Roland using Dickey's Barbecue rub and sauce. Roland also shared information about two new Dickey's Barbecue Pit locations opening in Lathrop and Tracy. On News 10.